S-300 will not allow Obama to turn Syria into Yemen

14.10.2016

Yemeni rebels saw the impact of the Pentagon for the radar stations is not self-defense, and direct military assistance of the air force of the Arab coalition. Ahead of Obama on Friday, the discussion of attacks on objects Syrian army experts say a decisive factor in the country, Russian air defense systems.

Washington says that the strikes of the USS “Mason” in the Red sea at the radar station (radar) Yemen was a response. But, as noted in the material published on the eve of The New York Times, the rebels (Shiite Houthi rebels) and many others in Yemen, saying that attacks the United States became the first public evidence that the United States has long conducted “extensive campaign” in the country and to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia.

“A reasonable decision-making professionals in the United States that were opposed to direct confrontation with Russia”

The newspaper recalled that officially the United States did not join the coalition led by the Saudis, who support the deposed government of Yemen, formally the Americans are trying to persuade the warring parties to a peace agreement.

However, a year and a half of bombing, the death of several thousand civilians in Yemen inciting the wrath not only to Saudis but also to their patrons in Washington, says the American edition. “The Americans had the patronage (led by the Saudis coalition – approx. OPINION), and directed the war from the very beginning”, – said the publication representative of Yemen, Brigadier General Izzat Luqman.

In turn, Syria?

Note that a series of incidents involving Americans off the coast of Yemen coincided with the toughening of the conduct of Washington on the Syrian track, which also operates the closest U.S. ally in the region – Saudi Arabia. In advance it was announced that US President Barack Obama on Friday will discuss with the advisers the possible strikes on Syrian army at a meeting of the national security Council (NSC). Although officially the topic of the fight against grouping “Islamic state” works but Reuters, citing sources in the US administration said that the new actions they will consider in the NSS include possible strikes against government forces. Potential targets, as well as in the case of Yemen, could become the radar of the army of Bashar al-Assad, and also arms depots, etc.

“Some military officials from the highest echelons insist that the United States has taken more decisive action in Syria, otherwise they risk losing their influence on more moderate rebels and their Arab, Kurdish and Turkish allies in the fight against ISIS*”, – told the Agency of influential sources. Recall the media last week reported that U.S. authorities are considering the possibility of direct intervention in the armed conflict in Syria on the side of the opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. And the main question, which is given by the world community: whether the transformation of Syria in the second Yemen?

“The range s-400, s-300 would be a surprise”

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed the Federal law on ratification of the agreement on the placement of the aviation group of the Russian Armed forces on the territory of Syria. The agreement is concluded for an indefinite period.

The air group stationed on the airfield Hamim at the request of Assad. Infrastructure and the territory of Russia is provided on a Pro Bono basis, said TASS.

Meanwhile, on 6 October, the defense Ministry warned of “colleagues in Washington,” that the air cover of the Russian military bases in Hamima and Tartus is anti-aircraft missile systems s-400 and s-300, “radius which may be surprising for any unidentified flying objects”. Thus, measures are taken to prevent “erroneous” attacks on the Russian military from the United States. In addition, the Minister of national reconciliation Ali Haidar Syria said that US air strikes on Syrian military targets will be considered a threat against the Russian military who are stationed in Syria.

“The enemy, which is Iran’s interests”

As in Yemen, and in Syria the interests of the United States are faced with the influence of Iran, which claims to be the leading regional power. Research fellow at the Washington Institute for near East policy, an expert on Yemen Michael knights pointed out to The NYT for evidence of Iranian military support for the Yemeni rebels, which, according to him, used anti-tank missiles, sniper rifles and other of the same type as Iranian-backed groups in Iraq and Lebanon.

Agreed with him and former Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein. In his opinion, anti-ship missiles used by the insurgents are Iranian origin. However, this conclusion is not obvious.

Who is friends with whom and the war in Syria and Iraq Note that, according to the military analyst Yuri Lyamin, judging by the video of consequences of attack on the United States radar installations in Yemen, strikes on ships “Mason” and “Ponce” could cause anti-aircraft missile system s-75 “Dvina”. Such complexes of the Soviet production are in service with the army of Yemen – since the days when South Yemen was a regional ally of the Soviet Union.

Americans in Yemen there is a deeper interest, than the reconciliation of the warring parties, told the newspaper look Director of the Center for the study of the Middle East and Central Asia semen Bagdasarov. “Americans are quite actively involved in the fight against the Houthis,” said the expert.

He explained that in the fighting there involved a number of military private companies. “This is a logical action of Americans against the enemy, which is Iran’s interests, nothing special about it,” – said the analyst.

“Expand presence, but in Yemen do not climb”

Yevgeny Satanovsky, President of the Middle East Institute, in comments the newspaper VIEW, in turn, noted: it is obvious that the Houthis are not going to beat us ship as they fired at the warships of the United Arab Emirates, which directly support military operations in Saudi Arabia against the Shiite rebels.

However, according to the expert, in this case the Americans could not inflict any retaliation that occurred.

Satanovsky believes that to think that the US is interested in supporting any of the parties to the conflict in Yemen means to think in a very primitive scheme.

“To get into Yemen Americans, in fact, categorically do not want. The more there is against the Houthis acts “al-Qaeda”, but not the “right” that they (the Americans – approx. VIEW) support Syria and Iraq, and very very wild, the one who in 2000 blew up the U.S. destroyer USS Cole in the port of Aden. USA no wonder were evacuated from Yemen its military personnel and base UAV. States are now thoroughly entrenched on the African shore of the red sea, expanding its presence in various podskarbi air force bases, controlling the airspace of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula – that “camp Lemonnier” in Djibouti and the us base in the Sahel, but in Yemen they prefer not to climb”, – said the analyst.

“In this case, the impact will be a test for the s-300”

Different situation in Syria, where the extension of the American presence even in full control of the airspace it is impossible – because of the presence in the country of Russian aerospace forces and missile systems.

According to Yevgeny Satanovsky, we already had a situation when the American government took the decision that led to a direct confrontation with the Soviet armed forces in Korea and Vietnam – and the result is known. And that war killed tens of thousands of American soldiers. “If the Americans need another Vietnam, who can deny it. In reality, if the U.S. air force and will be applied to strikes on Assad troops, they would be dealt with cruise missiles, in this case, the impact will be a test for our defense systems s-300, which can shoot down cruise missiles,” – said the expert. In addition, Satanovsky notes that all sentient, decision-making professionals in the United States that were opposed to direct confrontation with Russia, regardless of those or other made in the pre-election hype of politicians.

The possible adoption of a decision to strike Syrian forces American coalition puts everyone in a “very difficult situation”, stresses, in turn, Semyon Bagdasarov. According to him, on the one hand, it is logical to assume that our s-300, s-400 is supposed to protect the Syrian troops, we are allies and together performed a fighting task. “But as soon as the first shot down an American plane, measures will be taken for the destruction of our defenses and possible attacks on our air base. Great start regional war. Whether it’s Obama end of term, I don’t know. But the fact is that the situation is very rapidly developing, so everything is possible”, – concluded the expert.

* Organization in respect of which the court accepted entered into legal force decision on liquidation or ban the activities on the grounds stipulated by the Federal law “On countering extremist activity”